The Museum at Eldridge Street

The Museum at Eldridge Street is housed in the Eldridge Street Synagogue, a magnificent National Historic Landmark that has been meticulously restored. Opened in 1887, the synagogue is the first great house of worship built in America by Jewish immigrants from Eastern Europe. Today, it is the only remaining marker of the great wave of Jewish migration to the Lower East Side that is open to a broad public who wish to visit Jewish New York. Exhibits, tours, cultural events and educational programs tell the story of Jewish immigrant life, explore architecture and historic preservation, inspire reflection on cultural continuity, and foster collaboration and exchange between people of all faiths, heritages and interests.

VIDEO: Thirteen/WNET TV

Museum

Yiddish signs, Jewish ritual objects, archival documents, artifacts from the building’s restoration, and excerpts from the Museum’s collection of oral histories form the heart of the permanent exhibition. The Museum’s interactive displays on immigrant history, Jewish practice and historic preservation were the recipient of the American Association of Museum’s Gold Award for Interactive Installation. The upstairs Women’s Gallery is home to an exhibit on the synagogue restoration. Our Family History Center features a display of historic Lower East Side photographs, and a small rotating exhibit of Lower East Side family stories. A monumental stained-glass window by artist Kiki Smith and architect Deborah Gans is the only 21st century addition to this historic landmark.

VIDEO: The East Window

Landmark

The Eldridge Street Synagogue is a National Historic Landmark – one of only two synagogues so designated in New York City. The synagogue’s restoration was conducted with a “combination of rigor and affection” in the words of architecture critic Paul Goldberger. Following the restoration, the Museum received awards from the National Trust for Historic Preservation and the New York State Office of Parks Recreation and Historic, along with numerous other preservation honors. Additionally, First Lady Michelle Obama designated the Museum’s docents a national treasure with a Preserve America Stewards Award.

VIDEO: A Landmark Restoration

A Synagogue in Chinatown

While the Eldridge Street Synagogue’s neighborhood was once the heart of the Jewish Lower East Side, today it is a part of a vibrant Chinatown. The Museum honors its place in this continuing immigrant context welcoming visitors of all faiths and cultural backgrounds. Further, every June the Museum presents our signature Egg Rolls, Egg Creams and Empanadas Festival. This event celebrates the diverse Jewish, Chinese and Puerto Rican communities of the neighborhood and features music, folk arts, food and crafts enjoyed by thousands of people. Today, the Museum at Eldridge Street stands as a dazzling addition to our nation’s cultural, historic and architectural landscape.

VIDEO: 125th Anniversary

Mission and Value Statement

The Museum at Eldridge Street, a non-sectarian cultural organization in Lower Manhattan, was founded with a mission to restore and interpret its home, the historic 1887 Eldridge Street Synagogue, and serve people of all backgrounds with educational and cultural programs inspired by the landmark building and its gateway Lower East Side neighborhood.

The Eldridge Street Synagogue is a magnificent national historic landmark built by immigrants from Eastern Europe. For the Jewish immigrant of a century ago, the synagogue was a tangible monument to the religious freedom and economic opportunity afforded by their new land. Today, it is a powerful symbol of the historical and cultural contributions brought to America by generations of immigrants.

At the Museum at Eldridge Street we:

Welcome people of all faiths and cultures.
Teach and reinforce tolerance.
Believe diversity is our strength.
Believe openness and exchange makes us stronger.
Celebrate the special role that the Eldridge Street Synagogue plays in making Jewish life and immigrant culture available to all visitors, whatever their background.